Vending machines



Aug. 18, 1964 w. o. ONEAL VENDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 1 Filed July12, 1962 I Fine:

INVENTOR. id ATTY.

B W/LBERT O'NEAL Kiwi M Aug. 18, 1964 w. o. O'NEAL VENDING MACHINES 4Sheets-Sheet 2 Filed July 12, 1962 I NVENTOR. W1LBERT 0. ONEAL QSLBJ -WWATTY.

Aug. 18, 1964 w. o. ONEAL VENDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 3 Filed July12, 1962 J, if;ziiiiliili I NVEN TOR. W/LBEHT O O'NEAL ATTY W. O. ONEALVENDING MACHINES 4 Sheets-Sheet 4 INVENTOR WILBERT Q O'NEAL ATTY Aug.18, 1964 Filed July 12, 1962 FIG? United States Patent 3,145,656 VENDINGMACHINES Wilbert f). UNeal, Arlington Heights, lilh, assignor, by

mesne assignments, to L. W. Menzimer, trustee, Rochferd, llll.

Filed .luly 12, 1962, Scr. No. 2h9,42l 4 fiiaims. {@l. 312-45) Thisinvention relates generally to an improved vending machine and moreparticularly to a vending machine which is uniquely adapted to dispensearticles of various sizes.

While the invention will be described in conjunction with a bottledispenser, it is just as applicable to a package, can, or similardispenser.

For many years, it was only necessary to design vending machines thatcould accommodate one particular size of article since most commoditieswere prepared in a single size of package. However, as consumerpreference dictated, certain commodities came to be made available invarious sizes. This being so, the vending industry was faced with theproblem that in certain locations, the consumer desired the larger orsmaller size articles, whereas in certain other locations, the consumerdesired the standard size articles.

One means frequently resorted to in this situation was to design aseries of vending machines, with a difierent vending machine being usedfor each different size package. However, this involved increased costsand seriously detracted from the versatility of the machines since theywere limited to dispensing one and only one size of article.

in some cases where the difference between the article sizes was notappreciable, it was possible to utilize existing vending machines inthat there was enough dimensional tolerance in the machine toaccommodate the slightly differently sized articles. However, thisprocedure increased the likelihood of machine malfunction and increasedservice costs and as a result was not an entirely satisfactory solutionto the problem.

In the area of bottle dispensing, the over-all problem was somewhat moreacute since the diameter as well as the length of the bottles varied asbetween sizes and since the relative percent of size variation betweenthe two extremes of bottle size was quite large. Rather than approachthis problem from the point of view of designing different machines fordifferent size bottles, I decided to investigate the possibilities ofactually varying the machine itself so that with minor adjustment, asingle machine could be made to accommodate any reasonable size ofarticle. Due to space limitations, and due to the fact that any suchadjustment must be relatively accurate as well as quickly easilyaccomplished in the field with a minimum of auxiliary equipment, theproblem presented was formidable.

The invention described herein is believed to solve the problem abovementioned and generally relates to mechanism which can be adjusted so asto modify a vending machine to accommodate classes of articles having awidth or length or both which differ from that which is standard.

it is, therefore, an object of this invention to provide a vendingmachine which may, through simple adjustment, be modified to accommodatearticles of different size.

Another object of this invention is to provide a vending machine havinga plurality of article compartments and wherein the effective size ofeach compartment may be varied to accommodate a certain size of article.

A further object of this invention is to provide a vendin g machine ofsimple and economic construction which may, while on location, bemodified to accommodate one or more groups of different size articles.

A still further object of this invention is to provide a ice vendingmachine whereinthe article containing portion thereof may be modified inan extremely accurate manner to accommodate articles of a differentsize.

These and other objects of this invention will hereinafter appear andfor purpose of illustration, but not of limitation, embodiments of theinvention are shown in the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 is a cutaway elevation of a vending machine incorporating oneaspect of the invention;

FIG. 2 is a perspective view of a portion of FIG. 1 showing in enlargedform one aspect of the invention;

FIG. 3 is a frontal elevation of a portion of FIG. 2;

FIG. 4 is a perspective view of a somewhat modified form of one aspectof the invention;

FIG. 5 is a view in side elevation of another aspect of the invention;

FIG. 6 is a perspective View of a portion of the device shown in MG. 5;

1G. 7 is a view taken along lines '77 of FIG. 5.

Referring now to FIG. 1, a vending machine structure is indicatedgenerally at i. For purposes of illustration only, the vending machine 1is shown as having three compartments 2, 3 and 4, although the inventionhereinafter described may be utilized with a vending machine having moreor less compartments. Each of the compartments is defined by a pair ofsubstantially parallel movable wall portions b" and 6 which arepositioned in parallel relation to the vending machine sidewalls 7 andd. A front wall (not shown) and a rear wall llfl are generally parallelto one another and extend between the sidewalls 7 and 8 so as to definethe exterior of the machine and an enclosure within which are thepreviously mentioned compartments. Support members ill and 112 projectdownwardly from the sidewalls 7 and 8 to support the vending machinestructure. While these support members are shown as con donations of thesidewalls, they could be constructed in a variety of manners and theshowing is to be considered only as illustrative.

Since one of the aspects of the device described is its ability toproperly position different diameter bottles or other items, in properlystaggered relation, for example, the features which make h'lis possiblewill now be described.

Referring now to FIGS. 2 and 3, in addition to FIG. 1, 2 indicates oneof the compartments. Adjacent the top and bottom of the compartmentsidewalls 5 and 6 and extending across all of the compartments are apair of front and back members 13 and M which may be fixedly attached tothe sidewalls 7 and 3. Each of the members 13 and M- has a series ofpairs of elongate slots 15 and 16, the number of slots corresponding tothe number of compartment sidewalls. The slots of each pair of slots areso positioned that they downwardly converge and the slots in the member14 are located directly behind the correspond ing slots in the member13.

The compartment sidewalls 5 and 6 have inwardly extending flanges 17 and18, respectively, which project from the front and back of thesidewalls. Near the upper extremities of the portions 17 and 18, pins 19and 20 are affixed in such a manner that they project in a planeparallel to the general plane of the sidewalls so as to be accommodatedrespectively in the slots 15 and 16. The pins 19 and 2f? are of adiameter which is slightly less than the width of the slots and are of alength which allows them to extend through the slots and substantiallybeyond the lateral plane of the members 13 and M. The projecting ends ofthe pins may be fitted with a cotter pin or the like to insure that theyalways remain within the respective slots, but this is not shown inorder to shorten the disclosure and to facilitate the understandingthereof.

Located directly below the member 14- is a similar member 21 which mayalso be afiixed to the structure ture is a plate-like member 26 whichhas an upper flange 35. The member 26 may be fixedly attached to thesidewalls 7 and 8 and has paired slots 27 and 28 thereon which aresimilar to the slots in the member 13 which is located thereabove. Pins2) and 36 project frontwardly from the flanges 17 and 18, respectively,and are adapted to be received within the slots 27 and 28 in member 26.A member 31, having inwardly slotted opposed side portions 32 and topand bottom apertured ear portions 33, is positioned in front of eachcompartment (2, 3 and 4) so that the pins 29 and 3h projectingfrontwardly from the flanges 17 and 13 are received in the slots 32. Itcan thusly be seen that the pins 23 and 30 project first through theskewed slots 27 and 28 in member 26 and thence through the slots 32 inmember 31. If desired, the pins may be provided with cotter pins orother means so that they will be retained in engagement with theirparticular slots, but this is not absolutely necessary.

An apertured car 34 extends frontwardly from platelike member 26 and islocated directly beneath the ears 33 on member 31 so that the threeapertures are in a substantially vertical line. One or both of theapertures in the ears 33 may be threaded and a bolt 36 passed throughthe flange 35, ears 33 and car 34. It can readily be seen that byrotating the bolt 36 that the plate 31 can be raised or lowered owing tothe screw thread connection between the bolt and the ear on plate 31. Inrotating the bolt in one direction, the plate 31 will be raised, therebyforcing the pins 29 and 36 upwardly and outwardly in the slots 27 and28. Since the structure so far described permits only parallel motion,the sidewalls 5 and 6 in compartment 2 will be moved away from oneanother, thereby increasing the size of the compartment and allowing itto accept bottles, for example, of larger diameter. Conversely, when thebolt 36 is rotated in the opposite direction, the plate 31 will belowered, thereby forcing the pins 29 and 3th downwardly and inwardly soas to decrease the effective compartment width.

Each of the compartments 2, 3 and 4 may be varied in the same mannerthrough the adjustment of the bolt associated therewith. Once thesidewalls of the individual compartments have been adjusted toaccommodate the desired size bottle, a retaining nut 37 is placed on thebolt 36 so as to lock the bolt in place.

From the foregoing description, it can be seen that I have provided astructure wherein one or all of the compartments may be individuallyadjusted so as to accommodate a relatively wide range of bottle widths.Furthermore, this adjustment may be made continuously rather thanin'increments, the latter system having inherent tolerance problems.While I have shown the adjustment mechanism as being associated with thelower portion of the compartments, it could equally well be associatedwith the member 13, for example, at the upper portion of thecompartment. in so mounting the adjustment mechanism, the adjustmentitself may be facilitated due to the ease of access to the mechanism.

In FIG. 4, there is shown a somewhat modified structure which may beutilized to accomplish the compartment width adjustment. A centralcompartment 38 is illustrated and is defined by sidewalls 39 and 40which have inwardly extending pairs of flange portions 41 and 42,respectively. Each of the flange portions has a pin 43 projectingoutwardly therefrom near the upper portion thereof. Each of thecompartment sidewalls 39 and 40 has a bottom portion 4 which extends atan angle downwardly from the plane of the sidewall and inwardly towardthe interior of the compartment. Each of the porpartments to be tions 44is adapted to ride upon an inclined member 45. The member 45 has spacedapart apertures 46 therein and the portion 44 has spaced apart slots 47therein which generally overlie the apertures. An alignment member 48which may be, for example, a rivet assembly is fitted into the slots andapertures in such a manner that the portion 4-4 can ride up and down theinclined surface 55 in flush relationship thereto.

Near the upper rear portion of the compartment is a stationary member 4%which may extend across all of the compartments in the vending machineand which has inwardly inclined paired slots 50 which are so positionedas to receive the rearwardly extending pins on the compartment sidewallflanges. Near the upper front portion of the compartment is a stationarymember 51 which may extend across all of the compartments and which hasinwardly inclined paired slots 52 which are so positioned as to receivethe frontwardly extending pins mounted on the compartment sidewallflanges. The member 51 has an upper flange 53 for reasons which willsubsequently be explained.

A channel member 54 having elongate horizontal slots 55 in the webthereof is positioned in front of the member 51 so that the pins 4-3engage the slots 55. A screw 56 is passed through an ear 57 on the lowerportion of the member 51 and through aperture 58 in the legs of channelmember 54 and thence through an aperture 59 in the flange 53 of member51. One or both of the apertures 58 is threaded so that as the screw 56is rotated, the member 54 moves vertically. This vertical movement Jillcause the pins to ride in the slots in the stationary members, therebycausing the sidewalls to move toward or away from one another toincrease or decrease the compartment width.

Each of the sidewalls 39 and 40 is moved in a substantially single planeowing to the fact that the angle of the inclined member i5 issubstantially the same as that of the inclined slots. The alignmentmember 48 insures that the angle flange 44 always rides in asubstantially flush relation along the inclined member 45. Once thedesired compartment width has been achieved, a lock or jam nut 66 isscrewed onto the screw 56 until it tightly engages the flange 53. Inthis manner, the desired relation of the sidewalls can be effectivelymaintained until a change is desired. The embodiment of FIG. 4 isgenerally similar to the previously described device except that thelower pin and slot arrangements have been replaced by an inclined planestructure. The embodiment of FIG. 4 is somewhat more easy to adjust thanthe previously described embodiment due to the inclined surfaces and dueto the fact that the adjusting mechanism per se is located in an easilyaccessible position.

In FIGS. 5-7, the second aspect of this invention is disclosed whichenables the depth of each of the comvaried according to the length ofthe bottles to be dispensed. A movable rear compartment wall 61 ispositioned between the compartment sidewalls and movable along the depththereof. The wall 61 has a recessed vertically extending central section62 which is defined by walls 63 and web 72. The walls 63 intersect thewall portion 61 at substantailly right angles. Near the upper end of therecess 62 extending between the walls 63 is a rivet or similar member64. A stationary support member 65 extends transversely to the wall 61and is disposed generally centrally of the compartment sidewalls. Themember 65 has an elongate central slot 66 therein which has along itsbase a plurality of notches 67. The rivet 64 is positioned within theelongate slot 66 and is movable along it by lifting the wall 61slightly. It can thusly be seen that the upper end of the wall 61 mayeffectively be positioned at any point along the compartment depth bybottoming the rivet 64 in any of the notches 67.

A pair of spaced apart arms 68 are pivotally mounted at one end to theweb 72 between the walls 63 and are saaaeee pivotally attached at theirother ends to a second pair of arms The ends of the second pair of armsare pivotally mounted on the rear frame 7d of the vending machine. Arigid member '71 is connected between the central pivot points of theupper and lower arm members and has for its purpose the tying togetherof the upper and lower arms so that the same motion will be trans mittedto the wall 61.

When the depth of the compartment is to be increased, the wall tilt israised so that the rivet 64 can travel along the slot 66 in the member65. The wall is then moved and the arm members insure that the wall.moves in substantially a single vertical plane. When the desired depthhas been achieved, the wall is lowered so that the rivet ed enters oneof the locking slots er. in this manner, the wall 61 is effectivelypositioned so as to achieve the required compartment depth.

From the foregoing, it can be seen that l have provided a structurewhich has the capability of vending various size articles due to thefact that the vending cornpartments are individually adjustable in twodirections. Any single compartment may be varied so as to change eitherits width or depth or both. In this manner, one vending machineincorporating my invention may be utilized in conjunction with as manydifferently sized articles as there are compartments.

it is to be noted that the invention herein defined may be utilized withany number of different type dispensing mechanisms.

While two particular embodiments of the invention have been shown anddescribed, it will be obvious to those skilled in the art that variouschanges and modifications can be made therefrom without departing fromthe invention and, therefore, it is intended for the appended claims tocover all such changes and modifications as fall within the true spiritand scope of the invention.

I, therefore, claim:

1. A vending machine having at least one compartment therein adapted tocontain mecbandise, said compartment having spaced apart substantiallyparallel side-- walls which are capable of movement toward and away fromone another, a plurality of slotted support members, projecting means oneach of sidewalls adapted to fit into certain of the slots on saidsupport members, the slots on said support means being arranged in sucha manner that said sidewalls are capable only of parallel movement withrespect to one another, movable means associated with at least one ofsaid support members, said movable means having slots therein which areadapted to receive certain of the projecting means on each of saidsidewalls, whereby movement of said movable means serves to move saidprojecting means in the slots in said support members and thereby movesaid sidewalls with respect to one another to vary a. dimension of saidcompartment.

2. A vending machine having at least one compartment therein adapted tocontain merchandise, said compartment having spaced apart substantiallyparallel sidewalls which are capable of movement toward and away fromone another, a plurality of stationary support members extendingtransversely to said sidewalls, said support members having spaced apartelongate inclined slots therein, pin means on each of said sidewallsarranged to project through certain or" said slots on said supportmembers, vertically movable means engaging certain of said pin means,means for moving said vertically movable means, whereby movement of saidvertically movable means causes said pin means to move in said slotmeans to thereby initiate parallel movement of said sidewalls.

3. A vending machine having at least one compartment therein adapted tocontain merchandise, a pair of sidewalls, rear wall means extendingtransversely to said sidewalls, a horizontal supporting member extendingalong the upper end of said compartment parallel to said walls, means onsaid supporting member for selectively suspending said transverse rearwall means in any one or" a plurality of positions therealong, andadjustable means fixed at one end and attached to said transverse rearwall means at the other end for maintaining said transverse rear wallmeans in a substantially vertical plane at all times.

4-. A vending machine having a plurality of compartments therein adaptedto contain merchandise, a pair of sidewalls defining each of saidcompartments, transverse rear wall means intermediate said sidewalls, afixed positioning member extending in substantially parallel relation tosaid sidewalls in each compartment at the upper end thereof, saidpositioning member having a plurality of upwardly facing recessesthereon spaced along its length, means on said transverse rear wallmeans adapted to engage said recesses on said positioning member tosupport and position the upper end of said transverse rear wall means ata selected point along the depth of said sidewalls, and alignment meansfixed at one end and attached to said transverse rear wall means at theother end, said alignment means being arranged to hold said transversemeans in a substantially vertical position at all times.

Paulson et al. Feb. 18, 1930 Srodulski Feb. 10, 1942

1. A VENDING MACHINE HAVING AT LEAST ONE COMPARTMENT THEREIN ADAPTED TOCONTAIN MECHANDISE, SAID COMPARTMENT HAVING SPACED APART SUBSTANTIALLYPARALLEL SIDEWALLS WHICH ARE CAPABLE OF MOVEMENT TOWARD AND AWAY FROMONE ANOTHER, A PLURALITY OF SLOTTED SUPPORT MEMBERS, PROJECTING MEANS ONEACH OF SIDEWALLS ADAPTED TO FIT INTO CERTAIN OF THE SLOTS ON SAIDSUPPORT MEMBERS, THE SLOTS ON SAID SUPPORT MEANS BEING ARRANGED IN SUCHA MANNER THAT SAID SIDEWALLS ARE CAPABLE ONLY OF PARALLEL MOVEMENT WITHRESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER, MOVABLE MEANS ASSOCIATED WITH AT LEAST ONE OFSAID SUPPORT MEMBERS, SAID MOVABLE MEANS HAVING SLOTS THEREIN WHICH AREADAPTED TO RECEIVE CERTAIN OF THE PROJECTING MEANS ON EACH OF SAIDSIDEWALLS, WHEREBY MOVEMENT OF SAID MOVABLE MEANS SERVES TO MOVE SAIDPROJECTING MEANS IN THE SLOTS IN SAID SUPPORT MEMBERS AND THEREBY MOVESAID SIDEWALLS WITH RESPECT TO ONE ANOTHER TO VARY A DIMENSION OF SAIDCOMPARTMENT.